Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist T shirt by Toshi

We Admire Ben Jonson . Alchemy, interesting in Ben Jonson’s day and in 500 or so years not much has changed. How would Ben Jonson have described derivative products? Tell me Sir Epicure Mammon, Captain Face and Dol Common are not alive and well and working/have been working in Mayfair and Canary Wharf and all points in between to this day. Canary Wharf’s part in things is particularly apt given Jonson’s long association with the Isle of Dogs.

It is hard not to like Ben Jonson, he strikes me as extravagantly un-restrained as well as a marvellous observer of human nature. William Drummond Had this to say of Jonson having entertained him as a guest for a week or three some time in 1618:

He is a great lover and praiser of himself, a contemner and Scorner of others, given rather to losse a friend, than a jest, jealous of every word and action of those about him (especially after drink which is one of the elements in which he liveth), a dissembler of ill parts which raigne in him, a bragger of some of his friends and Countrymen hath said or done. He is passionately kynde and angry, carelesse either to gaine or keep, Vindictive, but if he be well answered, at himself… Some people take that as criticism. I don’t agree.

If you could resurrect Ben Jonson from his vertical burial site in Westminster Abbey – at his close of play there wasn’t enough for the more conventional horizontal position – and give him a few weeks to get his bearings and then ask him what of alchemy now? I think global warming and climate change would be his reply. Celebrate a great British iconoclast and talented man of letters, wear our Ben Jonson The Alchemist t-shirt.

The Image used in the design of this t-shirt, comes from the sixth woodcut from the series in Basil Valentine’s Azoth. Valentine was a 15th century Alchemist. Alchemy, of course, is the idea that a particular element, in this case the Philosopher’s Stone, can be used to transmute anything into gold. The design highlights that this is all about money, wrapped up in pseudo mystiscm. So instead of earth, air, fire and water. We have Pounds, Euros, Yen and Dollars.

The shirts:

These t shirts are unique for being made exclusively for us wholly with fibres ring spun into yarns manufactured exclusively for WeAdmire. These yarns are then knitted into a single jersey fabric suitable for t shirts.

The CoolMax bit exploits the surface tension of water to wick moisture from your skin. It works through micro channels engineered into the profile of the fibre. These channels are physical attributes, they are there for the life of the fibre.

The Fresh FX bit embeds a silver salt in the molecular structure of the fibre that stops the propagation of bacteria which, left unchecked, ultimately cause a sour odour. Because the silver salt is embedded within the fibre it, like the wicking, is similarly permanent; it will not leech out with wear and washing.

These attributes deliver shirts that remain cool and dry almost regardless of what you might do in them and similarly they remain fresh. And the ongoing performance of the fabric is guaranteed. This is important, these shirts will become your favourite items of apparel, you will want to wear your shirts again and again.

These shirts are marvellous to travel with, they stay fresh if you don’t have the chance to wash them, they wash easily when you do have the chance, and they dry super quickly. There is also a very useful side effect to all this: our shirts keep anything you wear on top of them and what you might wear after wearing them fresher too.

The cut and fit and sizing of these shirts is exclusive to us and was specified by Anastasia Vouyouka, a published guru of fit in the fashion industry.

The feel of the very best natural fibre shirts you have experienced with the performance of the fibres that set the benchmarks for wicking and freshness. It is very unlikely you will have experienced this level of technical performance in a decorated t shirt before.

We are constantly creating new videos. If you would like us to make this video next, please click the button below.